“Technologies like movies, television and mobile phones have increased the general knowledge base in developing countries, and allowed poor people more economic options. Anglo-American pop music has had real cultural effects in the rest of the world. But social media let any given society be itself more efficiently — not something better. Social media may “empower” ordinary people in repressive societies, to the extent of making it easier for them to gather together and protest. But social media leave basic power relationships and habits intact. They are egalitarian in the sense that any literate person with access to a computer can use them — but they don’t make societies more egalitarian. (Nor do they determine who becomes literate or has access to a computer.) You can just as easily tweet a call for genocide as a report of police brutality.”

With Libyans dying by the hundreds in their uprising to evict Moammar Gadhafi, the United Nations is speedily backing away from the same Libyan regime it so recently embraced as one of its most favored darlings.

Since lifting sanctions on Libya in 2003, the U.N. has honored Gadhafi’s envoys with seats on the Security Council and Human Rights Council, plus the 2009-10 presidency of the entire U.N. General Assembly. Now the U.N. is professing itself shocked — shocked! — that Gadhafi is displaying brutality consistent with his previous four decades of terror, repression and slaughter.

The spotlight doesn’t lie: Their onscreen characters may tend toward the glamorous, but Academy Award-winning actors and actresses run the gamut in terms of physique.

From tiny Helen Mirren (5-foot-1) to giant Jon Voight (6-foot-3), from flame-haired Nicole Kidman to cue-balled Forrest Whittaker, from the barely legal Marlee Matlin to the geriatric Henry Fonda, it’s hard to predict the look of those lucky enough to be invited up to the stage at the Kodak Theatre.

Or is there? By compiling the physical data of all those actors and actresses who have won Oscars between 1970 and 2010, The Daily has determined the ideal height, age and hair color of the person most likely to take home the gold.

With the latest version of our app we wanted to make sure everyone had a chance to enjoy a more stable and responsive experience, especially those who encountered problems and whose feedback directly helped us get to 1.0.3 so quickly. That’s why we extended the free trial for everyone through March 21. Our standard two-week free trial will continue after this extension, so anyone who signs up for the first time March 7 or later will still get two weeks free.

We’re excited that we already have a significant number of people who’ve subscribed to The Daily, and a fair question they might ask is, ‘What about me?’ So we’ve created a gift program for our charter subscribers. Anyone who subscribed before we announced the extension (February 25) can submit their info to receive an iTunes gift certificate from us. Subscribers, click here to redeem and for more info.

Thanks for being a reader, and as always you can get in touch here for support.

Financially, we’re screwed. We all know women suffer from a wage gap, but that gap widens once women become mothers — even more if they have the audacity to be single mothers, or non-white. A Cornell University study showed that a child-free woman is twice as likely to be hired as a mother with an identical resume, and is offered about $11,000 more in starting salary. We’re the only industrialized nation without paid maternity leave, and national child care costs are through the roof. At home, it’s not much better. According to a 2008 study from the University of Michigan, when you get a husband, you also get seven extra hours of housework a week (whereas when men get married, they lose an hour of housework), and mothers do on average of 18 more hours a week of housework than fathers.

Then, of course, there’s the social pressure: Are you breastfeeding? Co-sleeping? Baby-wearing? (Though so long as you’re not Tiger Mothering, you may be safe.)

25 Şubat 2011 Cuma

As Oscars weekend approaches, The Daily’s Sports section took matters into its own hands. Our reporter, Charles Curtis, imagined what the Oscars would look like in the sports world — and remade five of the 2011 Best Picture nominees.

127 HOURS

Genre: Medical thriller.

The Plot: The amount of time St. Louis pitcher Adam Wainwright has left as doctors race against the clock to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching arm before he’s forced to retire.

Also Starring: Albert Pujols as Wainwright’s greedy lawyer, who secretly hopes the docs will botch the surgery so he’ll collect millions in a malpractice suit.

And The Oscar Goes To…: Best Supporting Actor Tommy John, who plays the doctor who discovers the procedure that cures Wainwright.

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Genre: Heartwarming family comedy.

The Plot: New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie is running out of funds to support the nine children he has fathered with eight women. Former Tennessee running back Travis Henry has the same problem with the 11 kids he fathered with 10 women. The climax of the movie comes when Cromartie is asked to name all 20 of their collective offspring to win $1 million.

Also Starring: Rex and Michelle Ryan as Cromartie’s hippie parents who walk around barefoot.

And the Oscar Goes To…: Best Music. If there’s any movie begging for a song by Randy Newman, it’s this one.

INCEPTION

Genre: Horror movie.

The Plot: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell figures out a way to go inside the dreams of football fans and plants the idea in their heads that the lockout will be avoided. DeMaurice Smith and his team of mercenaries (including Kevin Mawae) try to stop him. Spoiler alert: everyone wakes up to find the 2011 season canceled.

Also Starring: Plaxico Burress, who breaks out of jail just in time to try to shoot Goodell. He misses and hits his own thigh instead.

And the Oscar Goes To..: Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay). Because this is a much better plot than listening to the endless back-and-forth between the NFL and the Players Association.

THE KING’S SPEECH

Genre: Drama.

The Plot: Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter invites owner Hank Steinbrenner over to his newly-finished Tampa mansion and tries to teach The Boss’s son how to stop running his mouth in front of the press. Steinbrenner throws a few million bucks at Jeter to stop. He does. The End.

Also Starring: Brian Cashman as Jeter’s butler.

And the Oscar Goes To…: Best Short Film (Live Action).

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Genre: Guy flick.

The Plot: Tiger Woods is socially awkward. He invents a computer program that will make him the greatest golfer in the world. He sleeps with thousands of women but he’s still awkward.

Also Starring: Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington, who sue Woods repeatedly for not sharing the program with them.

And the Oscar Goes To..: Best Visual Effects, which is awarded to the plastic surgeons who worked on Tiger’s mistresses.

Not so long ago, the average American man in his 20s had achieved most of the milestones of adulthood: a high-school diploma, financial independence, marriage and children. Today, most men in their 20s hang out in a novel sort of limbo, a hybrid state of semi-hormonal adolescence and responsible self-reliance. This “pre-adulthood” has much to recommend it, especially for the college-educated. But it’s time to state what has become obvious to legions of frustrated young women: It doesn’t bring out the best in men.

Great news: The updated version of The Daily is available for download now from the App Store: http://itunes.com/apps/thedaily. The new app focuses on the two things you requested most: better stability and more responsiveness. Here’s what you need to know:

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‘I feel like a lot of this ‘cleaning up and being more put together’ has to do with growing up,’ reflected actress and blogger Alexi Wasser of imboycrazy.com. ‘It’s about women wanting to step into their femininity.’ Writer and blogger Julia Frakes located a historical precedent for the new sleekness in the technology bubble of the late 1990s, when Carolyn Bessette Kennedy ‘became a high-fashion icon touted for her polished upkeep.’ Since the housing market bubble burst in 2008, Frakes told The Daily, ‘a similar return to minimalism and regard for grooming has struck a chord amongst the high-fashion set.’

24 Şubat 2011 Perşembe

Major world press outlets and political organizations can’t seem to agree on the best way to translate the Libyan dictator’s name. Here are some of the commonly used spellings — all told, more than 100 are in use: